The affordances of 3D imaging modalities for forensic facial identification

Abstract

The ear can be used as a biometric for identification when the face is obscured. Ear comparison can be unsuccessful in forensic scenarios if images are not captured in the same pose, angle and lighting. This study involves digitising ears with low-cost 3D photogrammetry app (Metascan), Agisoft Metashape software, and LiDAR scanning app (Scaniverse). These 3D models are then compared to a high-cost structured light model (Artec) to evaluate the accuracy of the low-cost modalities